Bent

The Oregon Desert Trail

800 mile trail proposed

The Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) is promoting the concept of an 800-mile hiking trail that would traverse some of the most ancient land in America. The Oregon Desert Trail would wind from the Oregon Badlands Wilderness to the Owyhee Canyonlands in far southeast Oregon. It would pass by ancient caves where human existence has been traced back 14,500 years, over rugged, timbered wilderness and through massive high desert sage which contains the iconic Sage Grouse, antelope, mule deer, and elk. The trail follows or would follow much land that ONDA wants to permanently protect for generations to come. Renee Patrick is coordinating the Oregon Desert Trail effort for ONDA and spoke with the Source Weekly about her love of hiking (10,000+) miles and her work to create a formalized trail.